Two Tacoma men associated with medical marijuana dispensaries in the South Sound were arraigned Friday in U.S. District Court, charged with conspiracy to distribute marijuana and conspiracy to commit money laundering. James Canyon Lucas and Matthew Ira Eliott Roberts entered pleas of not guilty and were conditionally released, pending trial, by Judge Karen Strombom. A trial date was set for April 28 in Tacoma. Judge Ronald Leighton is scheduled to hear the case. A third defendant, Lance Edward Gloor, did not appear in court and has a warrant out for his arrest. In addition to the first two charges, Gloor is charged with manufacturing marijuana and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug crime. [continues 272 words]
The growers and sellers who make their living from Washington's illegal pot industry don't want to be left out when the billion-dollar business goes legit. The growers and sellers who make their living from Washington's illegal pot industry don't want to be left out when the billion-dollar business goes legit. About 250 people, many of them pot professionals, attended a public forum Thursday night at the Tacoma Trade & Convention Center. They were taking advantage of an opportunity to share their thoughts with members of the state Liquor Control Board, the group making the rules that will govern the state's legal cannabis trade. [continues 466 words]
"I've been a drug dealer for more than 30 years." Before Election Day this year, making such a statement in public could have been considered unwise. But when Jeff Gilmore says it now, there's pride in his voice. Next year, when the state starts handing out applications for marijuana-growing licenses, Gilmore hopes his extensive experience with grow lights, fertilizers and irrigation systems will give him a leg up on competitors. Gilmore, 59, a longtime Thurston County resident, said he's been growing and selling pot since shortly after he graduated from the University of Washington back in the Vietnam War era. [continues 686 words]
It's not surprising that Jim Johnston is passionate about this year's campaign for Initiative 502, the proposal to legalize marijuana. Johnston has used and appreciated marijuana since he was a teenager in the 1960s, and for the past several years he's been smoking it daily to control pain from head injuries. He has long believed that criminalizing cannabis is misguided and counterproductive social policy. "I definitely want legalization," Johnston said from his home in Puyallup. "As a society, we're dumb for not doing it." [continues 1956 words]
According to Recent Polls, Washington's Marijuana Measure, Which Would Allow Adults to Possess As Much As an Ounce of Pot, Has a Good Chance of Passing. but the I-502 Campaign Is Threatened by Ideological Dissension in the Pro-Marijuana Ranks. It's not surprising that Jim Johnston is passionate about this year's campaign for Initiative 502, the proposal to legalize marijuana. Johnston has used and appreciated marijuana since he was a teenager back in the 1960s, and for the past several years he's been smoking it daily to control pain from head injuries. [continues 1991 words]
It's not surprising that Jim Johnston is passionate about this year's campaign for Initiative 502, the proposal to legalize marijuana. Johnston has used and appreciated marijuana since he was a teenager back in the 1960s, and for the past several years he's been smoking it daily to control pain from head injuries. He's long believed that criminalizing cannabis is misguided and counterproductive social policy. "I definitely want legalization," Johnston said recently from his home in Puyallup. "As a society, we're dumb for not doing it." [continues 1955 words]
Business was booming last week at the Tacoma Cross marijuana dispensary, despite changes in state law that could soon put it and other Washington cannabis purveyors out of business. Shortly before noon Thursday, the inner sanctum in the downtown dispensary on Commerce Street already had a capacity crowd of 30 clients. Whenever the door marked "Members Only" opened, a blast of humid air rushed out, carrying loud voices, laughter and the sharp, sweet smell of marijuana. "We're completely legal here," said Ashley Byrd, Tacoma Cross' manager. "We're staying open until we get shut down." [continues 1041 words]
After Gov. Chris Gregoire vetoed large chunks of a bill intended to clarify the state's medical marijuana muddle, what remains of the law is in tatters, creating concerns and confusion for the state's dispensaries. Definitions in the original law that medical marijuana supporters used to justify dispensaries were removed by legislators who thought they would be replacing them with a blueprint for a state-regulated supply and distribution system. Old language referring to "designated providers" who provided cannabis to "only one patient at any one time" disappeared, taking one of the dispensaries' main claims for legitimacy with them. [continues 416 words]
Justin Prince, owner of Tacoma?s first medical marijuana dispensary and a founder of Tacoma Hempfest, was released on bail Friday after pleading not guilty to charges of growing and selling marijuana. Justin Prince, owner of Tacoma?s first medical marijuana dispensary and a founder of Tacoma Hempfest, was released on bail Friday after pleading not guilty to charges of growing and selling marijuana. Tacoma police arrested Prince on Thursday after several months of monitoring his business, the Tacoma Hemp Co., located near South Fourth Street and Tacoma Avenue South. [continues 280 words]
Health: Recent State Court Decision Has Medical Marijuana Users Wary Of Compassionate Legislation Just as medical marijuana commerce was beginning to flourish openly in Tacoma, a Washington State Supreme Court decision sent many patients running for cover. People are scared," said Mike Allison, a principal behind North End Club 420, one of three new Tacoma exchanges for medical marijuana patients. "And that's too bad because they're sick and they need this medicine." The stack of the marijuana-growing equipment at Club 420 headquarters appears to bear out his impression. [continues 1956 words]
Just as medical marijuana commerce was beginning to flourish openly in Tacoma, a Washington State Supreme Court decision sent many patients running for cover. "People are scared," said Mike Allison, a principal behind North End Club 420, one of three new Tacoma exchanges for medical marijuana patients. "And that's too bad because they're sick and they need this medicine." The stack of the marijuana-growing equipment at Club 420 headquarters appears to bear out his impression. Lights, fans and carbon-exhaust filters are piled in cardboard boxes on the carpet in a rear office -- all of it, club members say, donated or sold at low cost to the exchange by patients worried about getting busted. [continues 1924 words]
